Dear Dave Chappelle, transgender comedians may take a joke, but why is yours so funny? | Dave chappelle

I am rightfully grateful for Special Chappelles for a reason. I’ve always been a little embarrassed that the first 15 minutes of my special time are trans jokes but now that he’s spent over an hour on LGBTQ people I feel pretty good said Robin tran. Or, as a friend and comedian colleague Jeffrey Jay Put it on: Every time I hear Dave Chappelle has a special news, I feel sad. Not because I know trans jokes happen, but because I know the same trans jokes are coming.

Watching The Closer reminded me of how influential you had been in my early days and understanding of comedy. Your stereotypical joke structure and all-too-predictable Edge-lord punchlines took me back to my very first year playing in open mics. But hey, you’ve been doing this for 33 years. This is no small achievement. It makes sense that you are running out of new ideas. Even so, as a longtime fan, something I always admired in comedy was his ability to push boundaries and defy standards. Now it’s 2021, and I think we can all agree that bitter old men who complain about progress are killing comedy.

If I was complaining and complaining about people who took offense in a previous set, I would be rightly booed off the stage. And you know what ? I would be grateful, because I’m a comedian, and criticism is our way of growing up. So while watching your special, I couldn’t help but think: this dude is 48 years old, has been in comedy for 33 years, and still hasn’t built up skin thick enough to take criticism? It’s kind of sad, actually, because as comedians it’s our job to say shit for money. There’s no obligation for anyone else to endorse the stupid shit we say, which brings us to our next issue.

After taking the stage, you rightly draw attention to your status as the rich and famous, which is the only reason someone has a laugh break for blacks beating Asians. Hate crimes are not so much a joke as an American way of life. It would be like pausing for a laugh and saying: I drank a cup of coffee. This is, of course, just the first of many more basic jokes to come.

What’s it called when a troll says whatever offensive he can think of to distract his audience from the shitty belief he’s trying to defend? Detour? Yes. That’s the best part of what turns into a Ted talk for the terfs, starting with your torturous claim to be a first-time feminist. To be fair, your observation that white America is more dismayed by black people repeating, on stage, what we have heard our black mothers say that they are not by one black man by murdering another is valid. The problem being, in this context, that it’s about as valid as, say, What about the Black on Black crime?

You artfully ask your audience: is it possible that a homosexual is racist? Obviously the answer is yes, and that obviously has nothing to do with your comedy being outdated, transphobic, and, frankly, hack. In an honest debate, you can’t just use a racist, white, or (gay) male interchangeably with LBGT, which isn’t synonymous with trans either. Since you also like Google, I recommend the following terms: strawman, gas lighting, and motte-and-bailey fallacy. Also, just to be mean, you owe me royalties for that Mike Pence gay joke. I wrote it four years ago, when it was first relevant.

On behalf of the trans community, I will go ahead and address your weakest defenses. How much do you have to participate in my self-image? Not at all. I just want you to shut up. You said you shouldn’t discuss this in front of black people. Why, Dave? Why shouldn’t it be discussed in front of blacks? Have you once again imagined that all trans people are white, or do you think there is an inherent danger that awaits us within the black community as a whole? And why could it be? Anyway, no explanation suits me.

You asked: why is it easier for Bruce Jenner to change his gender than for Cassius Clay to change his name? This is because Muhammad Ali changed his name in 1964, while Caitlyn Jenner changed his gender in 2015. Other factors in Jenners’ favor include life in California and, more importantly, being rich and famous, just like you, Kevin Hart and DaBaby, who not one refers to Jonathan Kirk. You’re basically comparing apples and interstellar spaceships.